The Center for Educational Assessment (CEA) provides comprehensive assessment services to help faculty and campus units develop academic programs, improve the quality of instruction and student learning, secure internal and external grant funding, and generate scholarship of teaching and learning. Core to CEA’s mission is providing collaborative support across the University to develop and implement meaningful, practical, and actionable assessment strategies.
ASSESSMENT SUPPORT
CEA offers assessment consultation and support for faculty PIs at all stages of the grant lifecycle, data collection and analysis for academic programs and departments, and general assessment services to faculty and academic units across the University. Our assessment collaborations have generated numerous publications and presentations to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning.
SURVEY RESEARCH
CEA regularly develops and administers surveys as part of ongoing assessment efforts. Chief among them is UCLA’s Senior Survey, which includes over 8,000 graduating seniors annually in the College of Letters and Science, the Herb Alpert School of Music, the School of the Arts and Architecture, the School of Theater, Film and Television, Luskin School of Public Affairs, and the School of Education and Information Studies.
COURSE EVALUATIONS
The Evaluation of Instruction Program processes evaluations of instructors and courses.
TEST SCORING SERVICE
The Evaluation of Instruction Program provides a variety of test scoring services that are available to all UCLA instructors. The overall goal of the test scoring service is to provide an efficient and accurate means of grading multiple-choice exams that will effectively generate reports to suit the instructor’s needs.
Our Team
Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
(he/him/his)
Director, Center for Educational Assessment
E-mail: mlevis@teaching.ucla.edu
Bio
Dr. Marc Levis-Fitzgerald heads the Center for Educational Assessment, staffed by researchers with backgrounds in Education, Sociology, Psychology, and Chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education at UCLA and spent 4 years staffing the Undergraduate Council in the UCLA Academic Senate. His research interests include curriculum reform and evaluation, student and faculty development, and institutional transformation. He is particularly interested in documenting the experience of undergraduate and graduate students, and directs the development and implementation of the UCLA Senior Survey. He heads several assessment projects funded by the California Education Learning Lab, HHMI, Mellon, NIH, NSF, and Teagle as well as internal grants. Several grants involve multiple institutions. His recent work with large data sets and increased expertise in learning analytics are responding to the latest campus calls for more contextual, comprehensive, and long-term data, integrated and readily available from multiple sources. In responding to this call, Marc’s work is primed to evolve with the needs of research collaborators, increasing his capacity to measure and improve student outcomes. Of significant interest to Marc are those faculty, students, and staff who are traditionally overlooked and historically excluded. Understanding the barriers facing all groups—women, underrepresented groups, transfer students, LGBTQ, seniors in the UCLA College of Letters and Science—in all academic disciplines has been and continues to be a top priority in his work.
Center for Educational Assessment
Bio
Anita has a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA. Her work at CEA includes providing high-level staff support and facilitating components of various team projects, including work with the Senior Survey, outreach with students, budget/fund management, grant support, and project management. She enjoys proofreading, data checking, eating junk food, hiking, and wondering about when the crows she sees on said hikes will carry out their plan for world domination.
Molly Jacobs
(she/her/hers)
Coordinator for Curriculum Assessment
Ph.D., Sociology
mjacobs@teaching.ucla.edu
Bio
Molly S. Jacobs holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and has long held an interest in interdisciplinary work that addresses inequities in organizational contexts. Her current work focuses on equitable and accessible teaching practices, placing the experiences of students front and center. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching scary movies, and eating grape popsicles.
Bio
Amy’s academic interests focus on qualitative research paradigms, community engagement, and the public sphere of education. Her work with CEA has included projects about undergraduate and community-engaged research education, learner-led design, holistic evaluation of teaching, STEM teacher recruitment, diversity initiatives, and career exploration. She has also served as an adjunct instructor in the School of Education & Information Studies teaching a course on social theories in higher education.
Casey Shapiro
(she/her/hers)
Assistant Director of Learning Analytics
Ph.D., Education
cshapiro@teaching.ucla.edu
Bio
Casey’s research focuses on the college student experience and its impact on student learning and retention. At CEA, she primarily works on evaluation of programs, curricula, and teaching strategies designed to enhance student learning and higher education participation, most notably for women and minoritized students in STEM fields.
Bio
Lucia is a proud Bruin alum, having received her B.A. in English at UCLA. Her work involves collaborating with the CEA team on different projects and mainly working with survey administration and qualitative assessment. Lucia is an avid film and tv buff, enjoys reading, listening to classic rock, and celebrating her favorite holiday – Halloween.
Brit Toven-Lindsey
(she/her/hers)
Postdoctoral Scholar
Ph.D., Education
btovenlindsey@teaching.ucla.edu
Bio
Brit’s research interests focus on giving voice to the diverse experiences of students, teachers, and faculty, and the ways that more inclusive and equitable pedagogical approaches, campus policies, and learning environments can support student achievement, learning, and persistence. Much of her scholarship has focused on improving learning experiences for women and minoritized students in STEM fields, particularly in the areas of active learning, inclusive pedagogies, and research training. She uses mixed-methods, qualitative and quantitative approaches to support diverse assessment projects at CEA.
Hannah Whang Sayson
(she/her/hers)
Assistant Director of Data Analytics
Ph.D., Education
hwhang@teaching.ucla.edu
Bio
Hannah’s work at CEA generally centers on quantitative analyses of institutional and survey data to support student success. She oversees campuswide survey administration and data management, as well as several IIP and externally funded evaluation projects. Her interests include students’ transition to higher education, diversity, and promoting data literacy among students and educators. Hannah also serves as an instructor and committee member for the USIE program.
Evaluation of Instruction Program
Bio
Jessica manages the office that provides online evaluations and the Test Scoring Service to the campus. She is grateful to have been in this position for 20 years and to work with truly outstanding people. She enjoys meeting with friends, listening to music, writing, dancing, art, and eating in L.A.! Jessica also loves animals of all kinds, including dogs, cats, squirrels, and especially dragons and rides them whenever possible (the dragons, not the other animals).
Candice Thomas
(she/her/hers)
Administrative Assistant
B.A., Business Administration
Bio
Candice is passionate about creating community within her department. Additionally, her work within the Evaluation of Instruction Program facilitates the collection of student feedback on their educational experience. This important data is used to improve the quality of teaching at UCLA. She enjoys art, music, spending time with family, and eating in L.A.!
Contact CEA
Email: assessment@teaching.ucla.edu
Phone: 310-206-1834
Office Location: 190 Powell Library